conworldfandomcom-20200222-history
Manchuria and weapons of mass destruction
Manchuria is widely believed to possess in the form of stockpiled . Manchuria is known to have researched, manufactured and tested chemical, and weapons in the past. It is a signatory state of the and the but not of the . A nuclear weapons programme was initiated in 1958 with assistance from the under communist leader Qian Yiu-tong out of fear of either a nuclear armed or . Manchuria conducted its first nuclear test on the 13th March 1973 and at its peak in 1983 possessed 25 nuclear warheads. In 1990 following the fall of communism in Manchuria and election of opposition leader Du Changhao there was an attempt to retain nuclear weapons with a test being conducted in 1991, but international sanctions resulted in the dismantling of Manchuria's nuclear weapons programme with Manchuria signing the NPT in 1993. It was the second state after to voluntarily dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. During the communist period Manchuria also manufactured biological and chemical weapons, with production facilities first being constructed in 1947 under the direction of Xu Xiaobao. Mustard and were used in the against South Korean forces. Manchuria has since refused to let international observers examine facilities that have been thought to be used for chemical weapons production, insisting such facilities are inactive. Manchuria's stance on weapons of mass destruction is both controversial domestically and internationally. Several political parties and pressure groups have called for Manchuria to join the CWC which has faced stiff resistance to parties such as the Manzuxiehui as well as the Manchu National Defence Force. Internationally the has been the most vocal in their opposition to Manchuria's stance on chemical weapons and maintain economic sanctions on Manchuria. International observers attribute Manchuria's lack of transparency regarding its chemical weapons programme to a long-held held by top government and military officials. History Communist Period In 1946 following the declaration of the Manchu People's Republic the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Manchuria and Premier Xu Xiaobao actively sought to pursue weapons of mass destruction. The reason for this along with the was rooted in the belief that by being a military power and stalwart defender of within the Manchuria would avoid being annexed into regardless whether it be placed under the or the . As such in 1947 Manchuria began a process of acquiring building chemical weapon producing facilities as part of the first Manchurian five year plan. The project was done with the assistance of advisor's from the but was critically underfunded. In 1950 following the invasion of Korea the programme still remained largely in its early stages. In 1951 the politburo authorised the use of against Korean forces which had been developed by the chemical weapons programme. Following the end of the Korean War had occupied much of eastern Manchuria, eventually formally annexing it as part of the Tianjin Agreement signed on the 23rd March 1954. This severely weakened the authority of First Secretary Xu Xiaobao who was ousted on the 17th May that year by his deputy and protégé Qian Yiu-tong. Qian subsequently instituted a series of policies known as the Black River Protocol which aimed to follow a form of . Qian saw the development of nuclear weapons as a way of not only assuring Manchuria's sovereignty but also raising the country's international prestige. As such Qian visited in December 1954 where he lobbied for a joint Soviet-Manchu nuclear weapons programme, arguing such a programme would act as a check against American and Korean interests in the region. Soviet was unconvinced by the idea, having already invested Soviet resources in helping China develop its own . Manchuria pursued a nuclear programme for energy purposes as a result, although many top ranking CPM officials continued to lobby for the programme to extend to military use. In June 1959 the USSR withdrew its nuclear advisers from China following between Khrushchev and . Qian subsequently travelled to Moscow where he once again laid his proposal for Manchuria to develop nuclear weapons, stating such weapons would allow Manchuria to act as an effective counter-weight to a nuclear armed China. Khrushchev agreed to Qian's proposal and subsequently sent several Soviet nuclear scientists to Manchuria with the explicit purpose of developing nuclear weapons. The USSR exported , from and facilities to Manchuria to aid them in their nuclear weapons development. and Qian Yiu-tong, the architects of Manchuria's nuclear weapons programme.]]The main architects of the Manchurian nuclear program were Qian and nuclear scientist Li Yonghua who worked closely with his Soviet counterparts to produce Manchuria's nuclear weapons. Opposition came from the Chairman of the Standing Committee Wan Shuangjiang and several members of the Central Economic Directorate (the body that drafted the five year plans) who questioned the cost of the program, estimating it to be around 元51,450 million (US$150 million). Qian and Li dismissed Wan's concerns pushing through the nuclear weapons policy. On the 13th March 1973 Operation Red Dragon was launched which saw Manchuria successfully detonate a 21 kiloton atomic bomb on the Haijiangzhen test site. The test saw the Manchu government formally acknowledge it possessed nuclear weapons as a "first line defence against the counter-revolutionary forces of reaction". During the 1970's continued research into nuclear and chemical weapons was pursued whilst research in biological weapons stalled. Manchuria was thought to possess around 5 chemical weapon production plants. Missile research was also undertaken as Manchuria brought , , and . Another nuclear weapons test was conducted under Qian in 1978 after he sheltered Korean dissident Lee Kwan-jin as relations with Korea worsened considerably. In 1979 tensions between the two nations exploded following the assassination of heralding the October Crisis where the Manchu government threatened to use nuclear weapons to crush South Korea, leading to international condemnation. The USSR was heavily against this aggression being aware of the geopolitical implications it would bring and as a result a peace treaty was quickly negotiated between the two sides, which weakened Qian's standing in the party. By 1981 Tao Shiyou had become the paramount leader of Manchuria. Tao believed that the nuclear program needed to be expanded, and subsequently conducted two more tests (one in 1981, another in 1984) as well as expanding the total stockpile to 25 warheads. Tao also launched the first nuclear submarine, the Azure-class Submarine, in 1982. Another nuclear test was conducted near the Korean border in 1988 which raised international condemnation. Present status In 1989 a series of protests known as the Orchid Revolution toppled the communist regime and led to free elections in 1990. Du Changhao of the Popular Front for Democracy and Revolution won a landslide victory and subsequently became Premier of Manchuria. Du, a former chemical scientist, was unclear on his stance of Manchuria's weapons of mass destruction - however countries such as the , South Korea and retained sanctions on Manchuria due to a lack of transparency over their nuclear programme. On the 12th April 1991 Manchuria conducted its sixth nuclear weapons test causing members of the to also impose sanctions. also condemned the test and unilaterally withdrew Soviet support. With a lack of Soviet support Manchuria's nuclear programme was effectively finished - in May 1991 Manchuria announced it would formally begin the process of dismantling its nuclear weapons and invited the to help close down its nuclear weapon facilities. By 1993 the IAEA announced that 22 nuclear warheads were dismantled with Manchuria subsequently signing the and the whilst the USA, South Korea and the EEC lifted sanctions. At the same time of nuclear disarmament Du Changhao announced the closing of 2 chemical plants in Manchuria which he stated had produced mustard and sarin gas in the 1960's. Du refused however to let international observers examine these facilities and did not sign the , causing Japan to retain some sanctions against Manchuria. Successive governments in Manchuria have similarly refused to comment on Manchuria's chemical weapons programme, maintaining that all chemical weapon production facilities have been shut down. It is thought by the that Manchuria maintains 3 facilities that produce a variety of chemical weapons such as sarin, mustard gas, and . Starting with the premierships of Japanese Prime Minister (2001-6) and South Korean President (2008-13) relations between Manchuria and both Japan and South Korea have deteriorated as both voiced strong opposition to Manchuria's alleged chemical weapons programme. The issue continues to be a source of major contention between the three countries, with tensions having not been cooled in recent years as Korea has considered joining Japan in putting sanctions on Manchuria. Chemical weapons Nuclear weapons Biological weapons Delivery systems Category:Manchuria Category:Weapons of mass destruction